|
Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment. |
|
Thread Tools |
25th Jul 2016, 8:18 pm | #121 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,485
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Quote:
Certainly, if you had a misread half way through the tape you could back up the tape to just before the problem and try again, unlike the Sinclair machines where you had to start all over again. |
|
28th Jul 2016, 7:54 am | #122 |
Triode
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 38
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
An Apple Macintosh Portable. Backlit, if I recall correctly, which would make it a 1991 model. I read that very rare to find an original battery that will hold charge and allow the computer to start but when I last checked, the one that I have did start, and worked.
The trackball is lovely. |
31st Jul 2016, 5:46 pm | #123 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Portland, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 870
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Had one of the Amstrad PPC1512's with a hard card (not sure of the size), and 3.5 and 5 1/4" floppies. Power supply was built into the monitor and the RTC was kept by 4 AA batteries under where the monitor sat into the computer itself (the batteries would 'pop' out if the monitor was not there.
Had both DR-DOS and MS-DOS and GEM on the HDD. Originally it was supposed to only have DR-DOS but Microsoft persisted in getting them to have MS-DOS as well. Had it's own special mouse connector (9 pin D-SUB but not serial) and the keyboard had a 9 pin joystick connector built in. Also, if you can count it as a computer, I have a Roland S-330 sampler, has a mouse, and a colour screen option (Digital RGB but easy to convert to SCART with a few resistors). Has a whopping 720K Words of sample RAM and boots the operating and stores user settings/sample/program data on floppy (720k DD), no working floppy disc and you will either get a blank screen or a "Insert Disk" message, needs an older style floppy drive too. 2 types of OS are available, one is the standard which comes with the device and has the main sampling OS (also all sample/program disks have the OS on them minus the sampling section) and a paid for option (with dongle which is required for saving anything) that allows it to function as a sequencer similar to the fairlite). |
2nd Aug 2016, 5:11 pm | #124 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 3,051
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
I never understood why Amstrad used such an odd mouse arrangement when the computers supported an ordinary mouse on the serial port perfectly well anyway!
|
2nd Aug 2016, 9:18 pm | #125 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Portland, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 870
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Probably could make their own cheaper and so did. They did sell their computers in very large quantities and it was only the problems with the HDD controllers in the follow up model that killed them in the marketplace (which I believe ended up in Alan Sugar suing Seagate and winning).
Acorn (except the A7000)/Atari/Amiga were the same and the mouse for the Roland S series samplers was also not a serial mouse. Also remember having an early Pentium machine (brought s/h) that had a GUI BIOS. |
3rd Aug 2016, 11:47 am | #126 | |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,885
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Quote:
From bitter experience of working in IT support in the 90's with PS/2, and Serial mice in DOS, Windows and Linux I can tell you they really didn't just work. They were a complete pain in the backside until USB came along, lots of faffing with COM ports, interrupts, IO ports. They can still be a bit of a pain in Linux! I remember Gem desktop on the Amstrad being a lot smoother and nicer than the contemporary MS Windows (I can't remember if it was 2.0 or 2.1 at the time). D |
|
3rd Aug 2016, 3:36 pm | #127 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,637
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
I have an earlyish Microsoft mouse that originally came in the box with Windows (3, I think). It has the PS/2 connector, but also has an adapter lead for the 15W "D" serial port. It was a bit mix and match back then in the DOS/Windows transition days.
|
3rd Aug 2016, 4:47 pm | #128 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Resolfen, Wales; and Bristol, England
Posts: 2,588
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Quote:
I had three of those.
__________________
Richard Index: recursive loop: see recursive loop |
|
11th Aug 2016, 4:57 am | #129 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Weare, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 7
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
First and strangest computer I ever had was a Spectrum Z81. 2nd hand (don't ask). Never got it to work unfortunately.
|
11th Aug 2016, 5:45 pm | #130 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 1,205
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
That reminds me, I once had a Microsoft "Inport Mouse" which had its own 8-bit interface card. I think the connector was similar to the PS/2 type. This was when I had an 8088 based PC clone, mid 1980's.
|
11th Aug 2016, 6:19 pm | #131 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
I had a Sun Microsystems SPARCserver 1000E as a desktop at home for about 6 months in 1997. It was a fully stacked machine that cost a small fortune (six figures) only four years before it was scrapped and I managed to intercept it on the way to the skip.
It had 8 CPUs, 2Gb of RAM, separate storage array stuffed full of 500Mb SCSI disks and the lights dimmed when you powered it up. The display was a 21" Trinitron I skip dived separately. This ran Solaris 2.5 if I remember correctly and CDE very slowly. It basically ran Netscape, slowly, Cadence, slowly, SPICE slowly. Eventually I got the electricity bill and realised it was giving me minor tinnitus so it went for private sale. I got £500 for it in the end, which covered the electricity bill, just. That's technology depreciation! |
27th Sep 2016, 6:17 pm | #132 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 40
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Ah not actually mine (yet) but I have my eye on a rusting IBM 1401 mainframe, last one sold for £30k on an auction site, just need to become an expert in asbestos removal to be allowed into the building to get to work on it.
http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm...1401-machines/ |
27th Sep 2016, 7:33 pm | #133 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,149
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
I have a weird and wonderful Mattel Aquarius PC /games machine .
Total flop but interesting and wacky. |
30th Sep 2016, 7:59 pm | #134 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK.
Posts: 156
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Quote:
Cheers, Andy. P.S. If you know where there is an Elliot 903 sitting similarly unloved, drop me a PM |
|
2nd Oct 2016, 5:18 pm | #135 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Derby, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 50
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
I have a Silicon Graphics Octane, in working condition, as an office toy at work. Unfortunately, at the moment it's out of commission because the adapter needed to use it with a conventional VGA monitor has been misplaced in an office move (though presumably still around, somewhere) and the root password was lost by its previous owner and I haven't yet found the time or inclination to reimage it.
Years ago, I owned an NCR 8085, which was a desk with a monitor built into the top and an open-air single-platter hard drive, assorted memory boards, and a CPU board where the desk drawers would normally go. It originally ran accounting software. I disassembled it and sold the hard drive. It made a nice desk. I had an Apple III that a customer dropped off and never picked up. He wondered if I could make it do something useful, because at the time I developed software for a living. I told him no. I had a Micro PDP-11, and an original IBM AS/400. The AS/400 was destroyed in an office break-in. The AS/400 faced the door, as a working piece of decoration. The robber threw a hefty rock through the glass door, which smashed into the front panel of the poor old mini and destroyed it. Then he stole a laptop. |
2nd Oct 2016, 5:34 pm | #136 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Derby, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 50
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
Almost forgot: I have a DEC Alpha workstation. I keep meaning to dig it out of storage, put OpenVMS on it and do something with it, but then I get distracted by something else.
|
8th Oct 2016, 9:03 pm | #137 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, UK.
Posts: 1
|
Re: Strangest computer you have had?
I have an Apple LC 111 which works and has all its software operating system CD ROM and printer. Mint and it's suprisingly fast.
|